5/31/2021
Anti-Speed Camera Activity In France, Germany, Italy, Saudi ArabiaTruckers in Italy protest photo radar, an egg is thrown at a speed camera trap in Germany and more automated ticketing machines disabled in France last week.
Vigilantes in Wintzenheim, France, on Sunday blinded the speed camera on the RD417 with spraypaint, marking the fourth such attack in the past four months. On Friday, vigilantes in Saint-Martin l'Hortier used white spraypaint to blind the speed camera on the RD1314. The target of a spraypaint attack on Wednesday was the speed camera on the Rue de l'Yser in Tourcoing. Around the same time, the speed camera on the RD817 in Orthez was destroyed by fire. On May 24, the speed camera on the RN19 in Amblans-et-Velotte was blinded with red spraypaint with traces of past attacks -- including a happy face -- still visible. This is the third attack on the device so far this year. On May 22, the speed camera on the RD311 near Saint-Symphorien-sur-Coise was torn apart and set on fire.
In Mannheim, Germany, an unknown individual on May 20 tossed a hardboiled egg toward police officers running a speed camera trap on Neckarauer Strasse. Although the egg missed its target, police want to find the man and charge him with potentially causing "dangerous bodily harm." Vigilantes in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday disabled the speed cameras near Al Fatiha, on the road between Aseer Province and Jazan. The automated ticketing machines were kicked over and blinded with spraypaint.
Truckers in Florence, Italy, took to the FiPiLi (Firenze-Pisa-Livorno highway) on Saturday in a slow-moving caravan to protest the government's use of speed cameras. More than 20 big rigs took part, maintaining a speed of 30km/h (19 MPH), snarling traffic during the event. Representatives for the trucking group Assotir complained that truckers were responsible for keeping the city supplied during virus scare lockdowns, yet their trucks were hit with automated tickets worth more than 100,000 euros (US $121,000) during the emergency.